ACs won’t go below 20°C soon: Govt plans standard temperature settings

You can no longer sit in your chilly room all day. The Indian government is planning to cap how cold (or hot) you can set your air conditioner.

Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs says this is a first-of-its-kind step

Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, announced on Tuesday that new rules will soon fix the temperature range for ACs between 20°C and 28°C. This move will apply to air conditioning systems in homes, offices, and even vehicles.

“This is a first-of-its-kind step aimed at creating uniformity in AC use,” he said, adding that the regulation is an experimental but necessary intervention.

Currently, most AC units allow users to set temperatures as low as 16°C or as high as 30°C. But the upcoming standard will override these options in an effort to improve energy efficiency, reduce electricity bills, and curb excessive power consumption, especially in the face of rising temperatures and growing climate concerns.

The initiative follows an earlier 2020 guideline from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), which set the default AC temperature for star-labelled units at 24°C. In commercial buildings, the ideal range was already recommended to be between 24°C and 25°C.

With this new regulation, the government hopes to strike a better balance between comfort, conservation, and sustainability, ensuring you stay cool without overburdening the planet or your power bill.

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